Last year, entrepreneur Oscar Garcia created an app called Need2Say with the intention of providing foreign health professionals and international students tools to improve their English communication skills.
But after seeing data that indicates Hispanic construction workers have the highest fatality rates of any group in the country, Garcia pivoted earlier this year, compelled to help these workers learn English not just to communicate, but to stay safe from harm.
Garcia
The company has launched its minimum viable product (MVP) and over the summer began working with Birmingham-based construction giant Brasfield & Gorrie, increasing the app’s functionality by identifying features that would be essential for jobsite use.
“A significant number of construction workers’ first language is not English, and that can make it more difficult to learn standard safety procedures,” Garcia said. “For this reason, the mission of the Need2Say app is to provide construction workers with second language skills, OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] awareness training, American culture and tools for tracking progress.”
For Brasfield & Gorrie, the partnership made sense, said Russ Gibbs, director of VDC, innovation and operational technology at the company, because of its emphasis on safety and its people. The app aligns directly with Brasfield & Gorrie’s core values.
“Anytime we can make our people better, more productive and safer, that is a goal,” he said. “If we can help solve a monumental problem like this, it’s important to us to give it all we’ve got.”
Garcia’s desire to make an impact in this space was contagious, Gibbs said.
“Oscar is addressing an area our industry needs to improve on,” he said. “His passion resonates in such a way that we want to support him.”
Garcia, who is a native Spanish speaker from Mexico, said the partnership with Brasfield & Gorrie was a godsend and that he appreciated the company’s mentorship and insight.
“Companies like Brasfield & Gorrie are a great example of what entrepreneurs need in Birmingham,” he said. “The construction industry drives the U.S. economy and has millions of jobs. We both want these workers to go home safely at the end of the day. That’s our goal.”
Garcia said he hopes accidents on jobsites never happens again in the Birmingham community – or anywhere.
“Our goal is to become the app that Hispanic construction workers know that they can rely on to increase their productivity, knowledge and safety on their specific project site,” Garcia said. “We are dedicated to this mission and dedicated to building a content library that will facilitate this positive change.”